Governors mobilize fusion centers for better security

At least 28 states and U.S. territories are making it a top priority to open intelligence fusion centers, according to a survey of homeland security directors compiled by the National Governors Association. Forty directors from states and territories responded to the survey.

Fusion centers are places where personnel and IT networks from state, local and federal agencies are combined into a single facility to develop joint intelligence. Several states, including Maryland, Missouri and Texas, have set up such centers, and many more are interested in doing so, according to the survey.

"Seventy percent of respondents rate the development of a state intelligence fusion center, a central location at which local, state and federal officials work in close proximity to receive, integrate and analyze information and intelligence, as a top priority," the governors' report said.

However, the directors reported much less satisfaction with federal intelligence as compared to a year ago.

Sixty percent of the survey respondents said they were dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with "the specificity of the intelligence they receive from the federal government," the report said. In addition, 55 percent of those surveyed were unhappy with the "actionable quality" of the federal intelligence they receive.

About the Author

Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week.

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